Real Madrid: Three individual battles to watch against Granada

Real Madrid CF Karim Benzema vs. Granada CB Nehuen Perez

The final individual battle to watch shifts over to Real Madrid’s attack and Granada’s defense. One of Granada’s expected starting center backs is 34-year-old German Sanchez. But the other is 20-year-old Nehuen Perez, who has played just 685 minutes in La Liga with a mere eight starts. He is a loanee from Atletico Madrid with a lot of talent, but he is not quite ready yet.

Perez is an inexperienced center back whom Karim Benzema can take full advantage of. German probably doesn’t scare Benzema either, but a young defender with under 1,000 league minutes is the kind of matchup Benz can tear apart.

Benzema is a top Player of the Season candidate in the league, and it will likely come down to Benz vs. Lionel Messi once more. The No. 9 has done it all for Real Madrid, and you can look no further than his performance against Sevilla to see his all-around brilliance. He did not score, due to a close offsides call against Alvaro Odriozola, but he was majestic in his creation and ball-winning. Real’s opener started from Benz winning the ball in midfield.

Expect to see Benzema light it up once more. He is going up against a center back who could easily yield possession to Benz’s educated pressing and opportunism. There will be great chances out there for Benz, whose genius off the ball will be difficult for Granada’s entire defense to cope with.